


Something More, Maybe

by MrChairoikoguma



Category: Lupin (TV 2021)
Genre: First Kiss, Friendship/Love, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:40:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28835745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrChairoikoguma/pseuds/MrChairoikoguma
Summary: Assane and Benjamin come to a mutual realisation about their relationship.
Relationships: Assane Diop/Benjamin Ferel
Comments: 16
Kudos: 74





	Something More, Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a drabble idea that I had in my head while watching 1x02 (peak Assane/Benjamin feels tbh), though I waited until I finished the rest of Part 1 to be surer about some of the details. So this would have been set towards the end of that episode, when Assane escapes from prison and lets Benjamin know he's okay - but with a more fully-realised scene instead of the often abbreviated interactions Assane has with others in the show (my only minor complaint about it).
> 
> ETA: I made some minor edits because I may have written the initial version under the influence.

Assane casually whistled some old ditty to himself as he skipped through the sprawling passageways that made up the flea market, almost as if he wasn't at risk of choking to death less than 12 hours ago. The area would have been a confusing maze for casual passers-by; though that certainly wasn't a description that fit him.

His pace quickened just a little bit as he spotted his target: a seemingly nondescript storefront bearing the words **Benjamin Ferel Antiquités** in thin gold letters. It was time to deliver some good news.

He strode into the store, deliberately letting his footsteps fall heavily; the _clicks_ of a watch being repaired upstairs stopped immediately. Ah, Benjamin, always working and tinkering as a way to channel his anxieties. Assane made no effort to tread carefully as he bounded up the wooden stairs; and as he cleared the last step his eyes locked with Benjamin's from across the other side of room, the latter emanating a palpable sense of joy. 

Benjamin chuckled softly and shook his head with mild disbelief. Their long history meant a mutual understanding Assane could never be talked out of anything he truly set his mind on, including several mightily close shaves with the legal system in the past; still, Benjamin had made _very clear_ what he thought of Assane's plan to sneak into a maximum security prison.

Assane had a huge shit-eating grin on his face as Benjamin took off his glasses and leapt from his desk, checking Assane from head to toe to make sure he was okay. The slimmer man's smile widened as well as he took in Assane's presence, and quickly closed the distance between them to deliver a tight hug. Benjamin always did this, embracing Assane as best as he could around his huge frame, but Assane swore that this time his arms felt more strongly locked than ever before. Having your friend successfully break out of prison probably achieved that effect. With his right arm, Assane happily reciprocated the effort, giving Benjamin several affectionate pats on the back.

Their separation from the hug felt reluctant; Benjamin didn't withdraw completely, instead cupping Assane's cheeks with his hands and staring straight into Assane with his soulful eyes. Assane felt everything Benjamin could offer with that killer gaze; the disapproval that was understandably present despite the successful escape, the anxiety that still lingered, but most importantly, the overwhelming sense of affection that underlaid their 25 years as friends.

It felt like a prolonged moment before Benjamin finally compelled himself to step back reluctantly, still shaking his head.

"I told you I would make it," Assane asserted with the slightest smirk on his face. It was, for the most part, a matter-of-fact statement.

"Maybe, Assane, but - shit! Impersonation, theft, yes, been there done that, and... then there's this," Benjamin sputtered, his hands waving with slight exasperation alongside each emphasised syllable. "Whatever. I still can't believe _that_ happened."

"Hey, look," Assane tried to charm and deflect his way out of the situation, per usual. "I'm here. I still got it. Alright?"

Benjamin nodded sadly. "Yes, and thank God, but Assane... you know people care about you right? I know it's your mission to clear your father's name, but Raoul still needs you."

"Well," Assane retorted with a semi-serious tone, "So do you apparently."

A pause. Benjamin did not laugh at all, and Assane knew better than to push more buttons in this instant. "You had me worried, alright? Going up the wall. If you were stuck in prison for the rest of your life, I would be the only one in this bloody world to know where you were, and exactly why."

Benjamin certainly made a point there, and Assane found himself lost for words. "And I don't even want to guess what comes next, whatever you found out from Comet." Benjamin sighed. "Lupin might have escaped all the time, but this isn't a book, Assane. It's your life. We're - you're getting real close to the fire."

Assane felt his heart seize; the words from his best friend in the world hit hard. While he was a man of many romantic exploits, including the complicated feelings he had for Claire and Juliette, Benjamin was the only person who truly knew who he was. He stood by _everything_ , as Assane's personal life consisted of one flaming wreck after another, blown up by secrecies and emotional conflicts. He understood the world Assane was immersed in, and the shit he had to deal with. He was one of the few who could hold his own against the complicated characters that populated Paris.

Throughout his varied personas and careers, high and lows from being the awkward new kid at Andrésy to successfully buying his first penthouse, Benjamin - his kind and intelligent partner who just happened to be a master tinkerer as well - was the only constant through it all. Yes - frequently exasperated, sometimes skeptical - but always, so solidly, there for him.

Assane had always been affectionate to Benjamin, but this time - he knew both of them, their exchanged gazes heated, felt it differently. He could feel static in the air, like a bomb about to go off. And he could do nothing but give into what his heart desired, at this very moment. Those patient eyes and pretty mouth were all that he could notice as he stepped forward and came face-to-face with Benjamin.

In one of the very rare moments of his life, he was caught by surprise as Benjamin took the initiative and quickly leaned in for a mouth-to-mouth kiss. _Damn._

The touch of their lips jolted Assane deep to his core. He sucked on Assane's lips in a loving but firm manner, going straight past any teasing and committing deeply to it. And darn it, it felt so right to Assane, part of the natural dynamic they had. He was extremely glad to reciprocate, wrestling with Benjamin to see who could embrace the other more with their lips.

Benjamin had this long-running joke about Assane being a Renaissance man and general all-rounder, although Assane readily acknowledged Benjamin's superior mechanical knowledge. Now, Assane would have to add 'kisser' to the still punctuated list of things that Benjamin was better than him at, because man, he was really in the zone.

Benjamin might have been the first man Assane ever kissed, but to him, it was no different from any other person he had loved before. Well, almost no different, because he and Benjamin both knew they loved each other more than anyone else in the world. And if there was any doubt about that previously, it _definitely_ was not the case now.

Their kiss lasted for a considerable time; each man fully expressed their feelings before Benjamin finally felt content enough to withdraw, so Assane decided to teach him a lesson by blitzing another kiss on him. Benjamin yelped and giggled a bit, playfully trying to push his larger friend back with a half-hearted effort. The effort failed decisively because both of them were enjoying it too much - their lips locked, bodies burning as they soaked up the pure love that they expressed for each other.

When Assane finally lifted his face from Benjamin's, both of them had happy smiles on their faces. "How long have you felt like this?" Assane asked in a gentle tone.

Benjamin shrugged. "I guess... all the time? It's been no big deal, really."

"Oh?" There was a flash of guilt in Assane's expressions. "After all these years, though? With Claire and Juliette and all the other women? I knew we were close, but I wasn't sure it was like this until... just now."

"Well, I think I've always loved you, just not necessarily in _that_ way. But last week, I was more afraid of losing you than I've ever felt before, and it made me realise the extent I cared."

The 2 of them looked at each other in a slightly awkward, but mostly affable, silence. If Assane unleashed how he truly felt right now, the night would end with Benjamin's lean body sprawled over the expensive antiques in his secret workshop. But Benjamin just gave him a knowing nod.

"It's ok, Assane. We're best friends. I know inside that overthinking mind of yours, you don't want to hurt the people around you. You think you can do that by not going all in, even as you can't help but taste the forbidden fruit."

"You didn't have to call me out like that," Assane whined, feigning a hurt expression. "But you might have a point."

"I always do," Benjamin murmured. "Listen. It's really not a big deal."

"You sure?" Assane's voice was soft. "I really don't want to hurt you. I've known you for far too long, Benjamin, and you're too good a man for me to walk away from."

"It's not your call in this case, anyway," Benjamin waggled his eyebrows and laughed. "But you know what? I don't see this as anything new, about our relationship. We are still what we were."

"Soulmates?"

"That's maybe a bit corny, but sure." Benjamin came closer to Assane again and gave him a gentle peck on the lips, one that nevertheless fully expressed his affection. "Look, let's work out what happened with your father first. However _us_ turns out to be, it'll be clearer when everything's settled."

Assane gave Benjamin a little nod in return, the two of them so in sync that they grasped what the moment meant without having to communicate explicitly. They both knew that to protect each other, they had to take it slow until the coast was clear and the Pellegrini affair no longer lingered. Nevertheless, little would materially change between them. They were best friends and _maybe something more_?

It wasn't some decades-long yearning where they pined for each other and lived with angst in their hearts. They just knew that at this stage of their lives, there could be further developments. Whatever it was, even if it was fickle or went away, it could never change what they had.

"I agree, let's take it easy. But we can at least enjoy each other a bit more, right?"

"Be my guest," snorted Benjamin. Assane flashed his most boyish smile as he picked up Benjamin's right hand. He stroked the relaxed hand softly as he started explaining what he managed to find out, its smooth skin concealing the skilled versatility of its owner. Maybe at more than just handiwork? Assane grinned a bit at that dirty thought; content in the knowledge that wherever life brought him next, Benjamin was sure to be part of it.

Always.


End file.
